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"The Nutcracker" ballet, composed by Peter Tchaikovsky and choreographed by dozens of individuals since its 1892 premiere, is one of the most famous dance works ever staged. Although other characters in this tale spend more time in front of the audience, no character is better known than the Sugar Plum Fairy. This role is one young ballerinas dream of dancing, as it symbolizes the heart of ballet. It is recognized for its pure artistry. The "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" is the third movement in The Nutcracker. This piece is from Act 2 of the 1892 ballet The Nutcracker. It was choreographed by Lev Ivanov to music written by Tchaikovsky. the choreographer wanted the Sugar Plum Fairy's music to sound like "drops of water shooting from a fountain". Tchaikovsky found the ideal instrument to do this job in Paris in 1891. It was then that he came across the recently invented celesta. This instrument looked like a piano. It sounded like bells. Tchaikovsky wrote, "The celesta is midway between a tiny piano and a Glockenspiel, with a divinely wonderful sound." He wanted to use the celesta in The Nutcracker. He asked his publisher to buy one. He wanted to keep this instrument a secret, because he did not want other Russian composers to "get wind of it and ... use it for unusual effects before me." Tchaikovsky introduced the celesta to Russian music culture on 19 March 1892 when the Nutcracker Suite was performed for the Russian Musical Society in St. Peters burg. The instrument is forever linked with the Sugar Plum Fairy. There is little information about the Sugar Plum Fairy's original choreography. The first Sugar Plum Fairy was Antonietta Dell'Era. She was a good technician. Although the Sugar Plum Fairy is the prima ballerina of The Nutcracker, she has very little dancing to do. This was a considered a major defect among early critics. |